Potomac Local News

Published September 15, 2026 at 6:43AM

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Manassas is canceling October’s Second Friday after the Sept. 4 killing of a Patriot High student, a second suspect was charged in a June Manassas shooting, Prince William planners sent a plan to end by-right data centers to supervisors, and Dumfries returns tonight to a $319,000 boundary study.

According to InsideNoVa, the city of Manassas and Historic Manassas Inc. are canceling October’s Second Friday festival after 16-year-old Ashley Intihar, a Patriot High School student and uninvolved bystander, was shot and killed outside the Old Town train depot during First Friday on Sept. 4. Authorities estimated about 10,000 people were in the area that night; three men have been charged in the gunfire.

Weather

Cool and dry Tuesday under high pressure; warmer midweek

By PLN News

Published September 15, 2026 at 6:28AM

National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington today’s forecast high temperatures map for Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026.

Canadian high pressure is in control today. That means a cool and dry start to the work week for the Baltimore-Washington region.

Early morning temperatures are in the upper 40s to 50s, with a few spots in the mid-40s near the Alleghenies. Patchy fog is possible in river valleys and low spots before sunrise, but it should burn off quickly.

Manassas

Manassas pauses October First Friday after teen killed at packed downtown event

By Uriah Kiser

Published September 14, 2026 at 4:33PM

A Manassas police cruiser sits at an Old Town intersection after the First Friday shooting on Sept. 4, 2026. (Potomac Local News)

The City of Manassas and Historic Manassas Inc. are pausing October’s First Friday — the Pumpkin Palooza event set for Oct. 9 — after the Sept. 4 shooting that killed 16-year-old Patriot High School student Ashley Intihar.

The city announced the decision Monday.

Event

Manassas Latino Festival

September 26, 2026 11:00 am -6:00 pm

Event location

Harris Pavilion

9201 Center Street

Manassas, Virginia 20110

Add to Calendar

Manassas Latino Festival is the oldest Hispanic/Latino, family-centric festival in the area! Held during National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), join in the celebrations with live music, dance performances, diverse foods, and fun for the whole family! Come enjoy this premier annual tradition filled with cultural heritage and contributions of the Latin American community.

Stafford

Stafford County Animal Shelter Closes Dog Adoption Floor After Confirmed Parvo Case

By PLN News

Published September 14, 2026 at 3:53PM

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Police Blotter

Police Blotter: Juvenile Charged in Bristow Teen’s Murder; Man Stabbed Near Manassas

By PLN News

Published September 14, 2026 at 3:09PM | Updated September 14, 2026 at 3:34PM

Photo: Scott Rodgerson / Unsplash

Prince William County detectives on Sept. 14 arrested a 16-year-old male juvenile of Manassas on second-degree murder and firearm charges in the June 25 shooting death of Michael Sakyi Jr., 18, of Bristow, in the 7900 block of Community Drive near Manassas. Also today: Prince William police arrested a Manassas man on an aggravated malicious wounding charge after a family member was stabbed multiple times early Sept. 12 near Manassas; in Spotsylvania County, a traffic stop led to a DUI arrest and recovery of a stolen firearm from a convicted felon; Stafford County deputies reported several DUI arrests, warrant services and fraud complaints.

A death investigation in Woodbridge preliminarily showed no signs of foul play. Additional Prince William cases included a juvenile stabbed by three unknown men, an aggravated assault with a glass bottle, and an indecent exposure report.

Opinion

Letter: Stafford business owner urges board to reject BPOL tax

By PLN News

Published September 14, 2026 at 2:42PM | Updated September 17, 2026 at 10:58AM

Photo: Potomac Local News

EDITOR’S NOTE: Stafford County supervisors are scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, on a proposed Business, Professional and Occupational License tax. The letter below is from Michael Nelson of Atlas Living Group LLC in Stafford County. Potomac Local has not independently confirmed every figure in the letter.

September 14, 2026

Manassas

Old school gets a mural pitch as county preps the wrecking calendar, plans parking garage

By PLN News

Published September 14, 2026 at 7:20AM

Bennett School at the Prince William County Judicial Center campus in Manassas. County staff on Sept. 9 said memorialization concepts, including possible imagery on the planned parking garage, will go to a public meeting targeted for November. Photo: Potomac Local News

Prince William County staff will take Bennett School memorialization concepts to a public meeting this fall, including graphics of how the 1908 building would be remembered in the existing Judicial Center or the proposed new courthouse.

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Manassas

Manassas Planning Commission recommends Center Street garage-apartment rezoning with conditions

By PLN News

Published September 14, 2026 at 7:15AM | Updated September 14, 2026 at 2:33PM

Revised Center Street massing looking from Zebedee Street toward the Meredith House. Penney Design Group presented this view to the Architectural Review Board on July 21, 2026. ARB considered form, scale, and massing on Aug. 13. Materials and colors shown are preliminary. This replaces the July 8 work-session rendering that first ran with this story.

The Manassas Planning Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 2, unanimously recommended approval of a rezoning for a five-story parking garage and apartments at 9007 Center Street. City Council still has to make the final approval.

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Manassas

Brescia posts signed Manassas school board settlement on Facebook; board drops investigation, she dismisses FOIA case

By PLN News

Published September 14, 2026 at 7:10AM

Sara Brescia, Manassas City School Board member. Courtesy campaign photo

School Board member Sara Jane Brescia on Thursday posted a one-page settlement to her school board member Facebook account showing the City of Manassas School Board agreed to withdraw and not start an investigation of her, restate limits on student transfers, and end the court fight she opened six weeks earlier.

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